Labyrinth Retold
by TheNobodyofaSOLDIER
Summary: My sister and I were lazing about one day, talking about this film. All of a sudden, we realized that we had created our own version! So, here it is. Starring our original characters.  We have many jokes and references. See if you can count them!
1. Chapter 1

~by BendingStar5 and TheNobodyofaSOLDIER

Once upon a time (great opening, huh?), there lived a happy, intelligent young woman of twenty-six named Lea Quincy, the third eldest of eight siblings. After finally finishing her college degree, she worked as an author and illustrator with two illustrated novels and a graphic novel already published. She lived in a snug, homely apartment right next to two of her siblings, her older brother and his family, and her second younger sister. As a side job, she worked in her father's company at the front desk.

Her father was a very successful businessman, working as vice president of a real estate company. Her biological mother, a faithful housewife, perished when she was very young, but her father happily remarried a few years afterwards. Despite her active imagination and consistent reading of fairytales, she loved her stepmother. Beautiful, gentle, and even humorous, she adored her husband and cherished the children. Adding to the the five children, the two parents bore three more to the family; now, the family consisted of two older brothers, then Lea, then two younger sisters. Next came a brother, another sister, and the littlest brother. All lived in the same town and literally very close to one another. Their most recent only aged at three. Despite what most think, all the siblings grew closer and closer every year. Their friends, in fact, loved to refer to them as the "Braidy Bunch". Lea was known as the "quirk" of family for her odd ticks, habits, and way of thinking. Being an author and introvert (which, as you may know, is not the best combination for social situations), she often stared into oblivion, conjuring up new tales and stories to tell. But, when not lost in thought, she served as the "guardian" of her sisters and brothers. She loved them very dearly. If someone hurt one them in any manner, Lea would jump down their throat in a heartbeat.

To continue, one rainy evening, Lea carefully scrutinized a book she read, simply titled _Labyrinth_. A perplexed expression in her icy blue eyes peered through her foggy glasses. She solemnly shook her head with an amused smile. Obviously, she found this book rather humorous. Suddenly, when the seventh hour renounced itself across the countryside, her floppy-eared lemon beagle, Leon, barked along with it. She realized with embarrassment that she was late! Falling flat on her face, the brunette scrambled to her feet and dashed back to her house. Of course, it then started to rain.

Go figure.

Lea and Leon got in just in time before it started pouring. They were greeted by her lovely, blonde stepmother.

"Well, hello there," she said with a wink, "finally decided to leave outer space? (that's what they liked to call Lea's brain.)"

Lea grinned and laughed sheepishly. Snatching a towel, she scooped up her beagle in it.

"You are an hour late, you know."

She scratched the back of her head, biting her lip.

Her mother sighed with a chuckle. "You know that your father and I go out pretty rarely, and we only asked you to babysit if it won't interfere with your plans."

"Oh no. I don't have anything going on. I was just reading, and well," she grinned again. "No, it's fine! Go out and have fun! I even invited Aria to come and help."

"You sure? 'Cause if you have a date, you can just tell me."

"Bahahaha. Yeah, right," she blushed. "Yeah! Certainly! It's your anniversary, right?"

Her dark-haired father, dressed in very sharp attire, came down the stairs and welcomed his daughter with an embrace. Noticing that she was muddy and soaked, he, along with his wife, laughed.

"Teeheehee. Yes, I know," said the nerd, "I look stupid."

"Well, we've already fed Trevor and put him to bed," he explained, "You should be fine for the evening."

"Alright! Thanks!" she hugged them both, before sending them off.

After promptly drying herself off, Lea placed on some fresh clothes; a purple tank top, a long brown sweater, jeans, and boots. She then placed on the Greatest Hits of Huey Lewis and the News to listen to while preparing dinner.

The door opened. "Hey, Lea! You here?"

"Yeah! I'm making some soup!"

Her younger sister entered, with heavy make up and a raincoat. " 'If you don't need money, don't take fame. Don't need no credit card to ride this train.' " she sung.

Lea smirked. "So where were you? I said six thirty, you know."

She flung her flaming red curls. "The theatre held out practice longer than they claimed," she rolled her silvery eyes and took off her coat, revealing her lovely coral dress. "SO glad to be here."

"How's the musical coming along?"

"Well, the idiot playing the Phantom failed to show up AGAIN. So, I had to work with the understudy, Simon. He wasn't that terrible though. In fact, he was quite good."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah, I guess so," her expression indicated that she no longer waned to discuss it.

The lovely, talented Aria was both a singer and a dancer. Because of her short stature, petite figure, and hint of autism, no one was sure if she would ever amount to anything, despite her talents. But, both her parents and all her siblings believed in her, and with determination, she pushed herself to the top. Now, she had been accepted into a production of the famous "The Phantom of the Opera", which would move to Broadway in a few weeks. She, as the expression states, and as her brothers liked to say, "blew people's minds."

"So, what did you do today?" Aria asked, stretching her limbs.

"Just finished a book," replied Lea, leaving the kitchen and walking into the living room.

"Which one?" she flopped on the leather couch.

"It's called _Labyrinth_. My friend, Sarah recommended it to me a couple of weeks ago. She's obsessed with it," she took the book from the shelf and showed it to her.

"Was it alright?" Aria smirked; she knew how critical her elder sister could be of modern books and simply waited for her huge list of criticisms.

"Wellllll," she bit her lip and tossed it to Aria, "it was alright. It was just...really weird."

She flipped through the pages. "Not very long."

"Nope, I finished it in one day," she sauntered around the room in her humorous manner. "The main girl reminded me a lot of Sarah."

Aria laughed. "How so? Was she ultra-high maintenance?"

She widened her eyes and nodded. "The girl was such a rat at the beginning! She got all mad at her baby brother for the worst possible thing in the whole world-CRYING."

"Tehehe. Oh my, how awful."

"Apparently, the," she posed dramatically, "the 'king of the goblins' liked her and gave her 'maaaagical poweeerrrs.' "

"Oooooo! Scaaaarrry!" she waved her hands, mockingly.

"His goblin minions would come to her if she needed help."

"What? That's it?"

"Yep," she rolled her eyes.

"What lame magic powers!"

"Yeah. I know. Anyway, then when her brother was, remember, doing the worst thing ever: CRYING."

"Yes, yes. I remember," Aria chuckled.

"She held him in the air," for this, she snatched a pillow and dramatically held it in the air, "and cried," she sniffled in an exaggerated manner.

Aria's sides were splitting.

"I WISH THE GOBLINS WOULD COME AND TAKE YOU AWAY RIGHT NOW! Waaaaahhhh!" Lea realized how silly she looked with the pillow but continued her monologue. "YES! Please! Take this pillow! I hate it! It's so asymmetrical!"

Aria rolled on the couch, completely hysterical. Suddenly, the cries of their baby brother caught their attention. They snickered noticing that Lea woke him up with her shouting.

"Great job, sis," Aria stuck her tongue out at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go get him," with that, she sprinted up the stairs, "You check on the soup!"

"Alright!" was the reply


	2. Chapter 2

Little Trevor cried as the thunder crashed in the dark room. Lea flipped on the lights.

"Hey, baby," she cooed, scooping him up. Leon, who had been sleeping on her parents' bed, wagged his tale, squeaked, and jumped on her leg. "Did I scare you?"

The tiny brunette sniffed and nestled his head in her neck.

"Aww, there now. See? Everything's gonna be okay. Ill even let you sleep with Leon.Ó

Before too long, the little one was back asleep. Gently, she placed him back in his cradle, tucked him in, and placed her smiling beagle in with him. Upon reaching the blankets, Leon burrowed next to the baby and snuggled with him.

With a smile, Lea hopped back downstairs. "Everything's fine Aria! He was just scared. How's the soup coming?"

No response.

"Hey! Aria?" she checked the kitchen, but she was not there. "Aria?" a strange, nervous feeling entered the pit of her stomach...it was either that, or the Mexican food she ate earlier that day. "Aria! This isn't funny!" No where could she be located in the living room either. "Aria! Aria!" she checked the entire house. Her porche still resided in the garage, so she could not have left. ÒAria! Get out here now! Where are you?" she finally screamed in desperation.

How could this be? she thought. Now, the last time I checked on her, she was in the mood for being humored, not humoring me...something is different.

Surely, something different. Lea swore she heard obscure cackles in the background.

"Hm, neighbors," she scoffed. That was not it. They increased in volume. "...no."

Out of nowhere, the curtain wrinkled as though puffs of breath blew the fabric forth and back. Lea saw the source revealed.

"Out from behind the curtain now! Aria, I am not amused!"

Yet, she snatched the curtain to see no sort of person-or anything-there. An air took over the house-not a very realistic one at that. The wind blew the curtains around, and the lights flickered.

"Wait!" Lea protested, "this is not usual!"

At last, the cackles revealed themselves in bodily form to be the strangest creatures she had ever set eyes on-sure enough, the goblins. She beat one without mercy with a serving spoon as it drank out of the pot with the unprepared soup. She promptly remonstrated their foul presence and announced their departure, stressing the threat. Before she could further her disapproval, the most unusual brink of this evening-though not for the rest of her life-happened when the window flung loose to let a frantic, barn owl fly through the house.

"HANG ON! That window was closed, locked, bolted! How did this owl get in the house?"

All peculiar situations amuck proposed a halt when Lea stared into the eyes of a man, dressed all in black-so she could only call him now, for this was not a normal man as she might have hoped. In fact, she grew suspicious as he smirked in her direction, and she announced him otherwise.

"Aria!" she complained, "you had me worried! I already told you that this is not funny! Take off that ridiculous make-up and check on the soup. Some strange creature drank from the pot, so I hope it's not contaminated. Anyway, you look insane. Take the disguise off!"

His mere smirk transformed into a grin as he chuckled over her criticism. Obviously, HE knew what happened to unfortunate Aria. Lea peered at his features...suspiciously.

"Aria...what is with that hair? Surely, that would have taken you hours-dying it blonde, teasing it, whatever you did! Stop playing mind games. You look...exactly like that stupid king of the goblins would!"

There, she froze. Her heart thumped with an aggressive fear. She turned around, thought it over, and faced him again. No, she thought, no! This is not Aria dressed as the king of the goblins...this IS the king of the goblins. Without another hindrance, she screamed-not exactly the girlish pipes expected out of her, for she tended to scream a far more comical, low-pitched scream.

"What?Ó she hissed. "No! That's fictional! How-? Why-? UGH!"she grasped the wall and banged her head against it.

The royal, mythical scoundrel cocked his head at her scrutinizing his existence.

"How rude," the goblin king teased, "not at least giving me a proper greeting, some fancy-free 'hello,' nothing. You sure are one to be difficult."

"Cease and desist!" she demanded, "where is my little sister? I know you've hidden her somewhere, you scumbag!"

"Lea, don't panic so suddenly," (She did have a tendency to show her irritation in rather exaggerated manners, especially when something unexpected happened. ) "Forget about the girl, and go your way."

"Don't be so normal about it! What did you do to her?...How did you even know my name? Wha-?"

"Exactly what you told me to. What's said is said."

"HUH? I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!" she gnawed on her fingernails.

"Oh, you didn't?" he sneered.

"What delusions have you conjured up?"

He only smiled.

Had she said something that triggered such chaos? Scratching the back of her head, Lea whimpered,

I'm so confused...Wait-," she realized what he spoke of. "...but, I was just quoting! Are you-?...UGH..."

"I brought you a gift," he held out his hand to allow the appearance of a spherical crystal, "this is a crystal-nothing more. But if you turn it this way, look into it," he began to wave it around on his fingers to catch her attention, "it will show you your dreams."

Her blue eyes widened as it shimmered in the dim light. "It's...rather shiny."

At this, the king seemed to gleam at her with a sense of pride.

"Do you want it?" he leaned closer to her.

To his surprise, she laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Naah. Trust me, I don't want to see my dreams, and you wouldn't either. They look like something outta 'Yellow Submarine'," she realized that reference was getting her no where." They're so bizarre and wacky, and they NEVER make any sense."

"Well," he snickered, "either way, pardon my manner. "T'is past the time appointed to introduce myself by name to you, though you nearly turned me down. I am Jareth, the king of the goblin city."

Lea pressed her lips together. ÒWell, let me introduce myself: I am a really annoyed nerd, and I'm ready to get my sister back. Where did you even take her anyway?"

"She's there in my castle."

They stepped outside simultaneously for Lea to see the castle where her backyard once was. She scrutinized the castle suspiciously.

"Do you still want to look for her?"

"What is with this CASTLE? What did you do when I opened the door? You destroyed my backyard! Put it back! PUT IT BACK!"

"But it's still a nice view, right?"

"I feel like I'm talking to Richter in Dracula's castle..."

"I beg your pardon?"

Failed usage of reference again. "Never mind!" she buried her face in her hands.

"Turn back, Lea. Turn back before it's too late."

"Look here, buster. I would not have walked out that door had I not been serious about finding my little sister. Even if my feet bleed to death, I won't stop until I find her. Got it?"

"What a pity."

She pursed her lips at him in total vexation, but when she glanced back at the giant maze, her stomach began to knot. "Suddenly, I don't feel so good," she mumbled. "Well, if I must, I must."

"Careful, it's further than you think. Time is short," he creeped over her shoulder.

At such unnecessary invasion of bubble space, Jareth triggered an unfortunate reflex: an elbow in the stomach. He little discouraged himself despite the pain, grabbing the spot disdainfully. Out of nowhere, he showed her his clock.

"You have thirteen hours in which you will solve the-"

"Thirteen?"

"Yes, why bother?"

Suddenly, she scratched the side of her head. ÒSay twelve!Ó

"Yes, why do you beseech twelve?"

"Pleaaase," she implored, "Twelve's MUCH better. Twelve's way less confusing," she looked up with imploring eyes and crooked glasses. "My brain's mixed up as it is, and I don't need anything else frankly. At least make the hours normal."

Jareth enjoyed her plead. Something made her different. Whatever it was, it pleased him.

"Very well then. You will have twelve hours to solve the labyrinth before your little sister becomes one of us forever."

She blinked. "What? Are you STUPID? Why would you make a clock with thirteen hours? Now, your clock's not symmetrical! UGH!" she threw her head back in despair.

"I'll change it when I return to the castle, silly girl. Such a pity."

After that word, he disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

After the king Jareth took his leave, Lea in frustration kicked a rock and growled.

"Ugh! I can't believe this!" she yanked off her glasses and wiped off the dust. Reluctantly, she proceeded forth to the maze's entrance. Before her stood a magnificent wall, covered in sparkling vines and small pools. A small figure took care of his business in one of the pools, but she was too distracted by something else.

"What is up with this door?" she hissed. "Does anybody hear have any conception of symmetry? I am NOT going in there. I can't! It'll drive me INSANE." She banged the wooden portal with her fists. "You horrid thing." Although Lea was not someone who constantly obsessed over order and symmetry, she did prefer things that way, and when they were not, it put her in a grouchy mood.

"Oh-excuse me." sounded in the background.

She turned around to perceive a dwarf, dressed in small brown trousers, a white shirt, leather boots and a bag of jewels jingling at his waist. But, Lea was far too distracted to pay much attention.

"Alright, I've had enough of this sshh-stuff," she grumbled. With new determination, she approached one of the thick vines and climbed it, completely ignoring the tiny fairies floating about it.

"Wait-above your head!Ó shouted the small man, pointing above her head. Indeed, a fairy began to flutter about her head.

Before Lea could respond, the little creature, in a blue dress and with flowing golden hair, rested in her dark hair and nestled in it. She glanced back at the goblin and smiled.

"Well, what do you know? I thought it was about to nip at your finger or something."

She merely shrugged, and then she hoisted herself up on the wall.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked her new companion.

After yawning, she replied sleepily,

"Maria," and fell back asleep.

"Well, thank you for joining me!" at last, she proceeded her journey.

The dwarf waved his hand, protesting, "Why don't you walk into the labyrinth?"

"I'm not walking in that asymmetrical trash! I refuse! It's a bad omen. I hate things that are disorderly."

"That's the way it's usually done."

"That matters not!" she pointed at him and raised an eyebrow. "I have to get through this as quickly as possible. Your meddling is unwelcome; leave it to me!"

"Well, alright then. I won't bother you."

She crossed her arms and nodded. Raising to her full height, she sprinted forth on top of the wall. She jumped from wall to wall, keeping balance and awareness.

For the first time in her life, she was happy her stepmother put her in those karate classes...

For a few moments, she stopped and observed the pathway ahead. She attempted forming a strategy that would complete the labyrinth in approximately five hours.

In the midst of her pondering, Lea heard a tiny voice from below.

"Hallo!" to her surprise, a tiny blue worm waved at her.

She blinked.]"

"What are you doing way up there, young lady?Ó

She shook her head. "I-er- I'm solving the maze from up here."

"Oh my! That sounds dangerous. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Well, it's better than be stuck down there.

"Oh, my my my my."

"Well," she tritely saluted the worm, "have a wonderful evening! Tally-ho!"

"Cheerio, then!"

On she hopped to the next wall.

Meanwhile, in the Jareth's castle, Aria awoke with a plethora of goblins staring at her in wonder. With a gasp, she shrieked, not in fear, but in anger,

"WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING IN HERE?"

"Peace, young lady," came a low, manly voice. She grew even more upset when she noted a tall, blonde man with piercing, grey eyes, looking down on her. "You're within my castle walls."

She glared evilly at him. "I don't like it!"

Smirking, he crossed his arms,

"Blame your sister: had it not been for her words, you would not be here."

"Fool! That was an accident! She was quoting a stupid book! What are you, dumb or something?"

He rolled his eyes; though the sisters failed to resemble one another in appearance, they were exactly alike in dealing with surprises. All of his minions gasped at such insults. He frowned; he was starting to get rather tired of being called unintelligent.

"Well, either way," he explained, "if she fails to solve this labyrinth in twelve hours, you will become one of us."

She grimaced in disgust. "I better not live in this castle for eternity! Look at it! Filthy! Absolutely filthy! Who cleans up this place anyway!"

No one responded.

"What is the meaning of this? What kind of king are you? Do you just sit around on your royal ass all day, staring off into oblivion or something?"

The goblins widened their eyes in horror as Jareth narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, at least, SOMEONE fetch me a broom," Aria jumped to her feet and placed her fists on her hips.

No one responded...again.

"NOW!"

In terror, they scrambled about. Jareth still scowled at her. How dare someone affront the goblin king? One of the goblins managed to find her an old, moldy broom. Settling for that, she proceeded to sweep the dust bunnies in front of the king.


	4. Chapter 4

Lea had made incredible progress by the time the hazy sun hung high over her head. Little Maria finally awoke and hovered next to her head for some time. She passed a pair of two doors that, supposedly, one lead to the center of the gigantic maze and the other to certain death. However, being on top of the wall, neither mattered otherwise. She pressed onward. Unbeknownst to her, she skipped over many of the labyrinthÕs traps and tricks, traversing atop the wall.

Watching in his spherical crystal, Jareth was shocked to realize this. In the background, Aria scrubbed the floors and walls, swept and mopped. She ordered some of the goblins to assist her, and they did willingly. Honestly, they were too scared to argue with her.

"I...I don't believe this," he whispered.

"Believe what?" Aria had heard him and stuck her tongue out at him.

He glared at her, humiliated to admit. "Only one hour has passed, and she has fallen into no traps, or dead ends, or all else. She's gone far and beyond what I expected."

"Yep. That's my big sister!" Aria cheered proudly as the goblins gawked. "She's GREAT at puzzles and mazes. Besides, when you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

He gritted his teeth. "I may have to approach this at a new angle..."

By the time Lea reached a leafy, lush part of the maze, she rested on the walls, burying her face in her hands. Her allergies finally decided to disagree with her and formed a throbbing headache. Her eyes burned, and her nose clogged up. As she rested, Maria hovered about curiously observing her surroundings. Before long, she rested back on LeaÕs bony shoulder.

Her sky blue eyes widened, and she tugged at a lock of her dark hair. "Lea! Lea! Look!"

When Lea glanced up, her stomach dropped: staring directly at her, the goblin king smirked at the sight of the young nerd, sitting upon the wall.

"Well, well, Lea. Haven't you done well?" he stated.

She frowned in complete repugnance.

Ò" thought I must ask you: how are you enjoying my labyrinth?" Jareth cocked his head at her and raised an eyebrow.

She moaned exasperatingly. "It's REALLY bizarre."

Maria pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips in agreement.

"Oh, well," he took little offense (hoping she would say something far more cocky than that). "How so?"

"It's like the designer was on something when it was made! First, it's like a swamp, then it's bare and empty, then it's lush and green. I mean, what the hell?" she slapped her forehead. "And it's filthy! My head-" she rubbed her temples to prove her point. "It's making my allergies go insane."

"How could this be? First, my clock. Then, the entrance into the labyrinth. Now, my entire labyrinth? Oh dear," he challenged her sarcastically, slowly approaching her and raising an arm, "have I failed you?"

She backed away as he placed it on the pillar next to which she had sat. "Failed? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she moaned. "If the goal was to piss me off and make me sick, it worked."

"I apologize profusely. I have no idea how to present this labyrinth before anyone else if it has been highly disapproved. How must I repent? How must I amend these troubles?" he jeered.

She simply shook her head, disapprovingly. "You don't have to; you're ego is too huge even for this stupid maze. But, that's not important right now. I have a puzzle to solve." She swiftly rose to her feet and continued onward with nothing else to say. She did not trust him in the least. She knew that if he could, he would find a way to knock her from the top. Before she followed, Maria stuck her tongue out at Jareth. (It had been years since he had to face the power of women's hormones, especially two of them! Three, if counting the fairy). Not even he was sure how to break her determination.

The king narrowed his eyes as he watched her proceed. Gazing into his crystal, he thought momentarily. Suddenly, he pivoted towards a vine-covered column. Hiding behind it was the dwarf at the front gate. Suddenly, he snatched the little creature by the neck and held him in the air.

"You little rat! You were supposed to find her and lead her back to the beginning, Hogwart!" he hissed darkly.

Eyes bulging, he wheezed,

"I-It's Hoggle! A-a-and besides, she-she never fell into the-!"

"Oh, never mind!" When Jareth dropped him, Hoggle, as was his named, coughed and tried to catch his breath.

"In fact," he continued, "I think she avoided most of your traps."

"I know! I am aware of that," he replied, placing a long finger over his lip. "I'm going to have improvise." After he deliberated for a few moments, he took out his crystal, balancing it on his finger. "Give her this," he commanded the dwarf. When he tossed it to him, it morphed into a small peach.

Scratching the back of his white head, Hoggle inquired,

"What is this?"

He smirked. "It's a present."

He reluctantly asked again,

"Wha-?...What's it do?"

"Oh, come come now, Hogbrain!" he rolled his eyes, "Do you not trust me? Just do as I say, and everything will turn out right. If you fail to do as I say," he poked his long staff into Hoggle's belly, "I'll personally dip you headfirst into the Bog of Eternal Stench before you can blink."

Falling to his knees, he grabbed his leg and cried,

"No, no, no! Not the Bog of Stench!"

He kicked him off, laughed and turned to leave. Hoggle clenched his stomach. But, before Jareth left, he stated,

"Oh, and Hoggle! If she ever kisses you, I'll turn you into a prince."

He blinked. "You-...you will?"

"Prince of the land of stench!" cackling, he disappeared into the distance, leaving the poor dwarf, staring at the ground, humiliated.

It was very apparent that Lea's quest would not be quite as easy as she thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Time passed, and Lea grew more and more upset. She was tired of wasting time in a long, uncanny, weird labyrinth. Was she ever ready to escape! It perplexed her that she witnessed fantastical creatures, such as goblins, fairies and the like, creatures seeming to come only from books. She wished that she would wake up and realize that she simply dreamt it all. Unfortunately, despite her pinching herself and asking Maria to bite her ear, there she remained atop the broad walls. (Of course, having an allergy attack in the midst of it all was no help either.)

Lea was an backwards child; though she possessed an active, whimsical imagination, she never wished for any sort of a fantasy world to become reality. She was always content with her family life, even after her mother died. The fact that one somehow materialized discomposed her nerves, and the fact that some overly serious king mistook her quoting as an actual wish really got under her skin! Her stomach felt rotted when she imagined her poor sister stuck cooped up in that dusty, filthy castle.

"She must be going crazy," she said to herself with a proud, crooked smile, "trying to clean the whole thing up."

Sure enough, before long, the entire edifice sparkled. Everything was perfectly organized, windows shined, and floors shimmered. The goblins gawked in awe at the sight: never before had their home looked so CLEAN! Aria nodded epically.

"Now, THERE'S a castle!" she cheered which triggered the goblins to do the same. Promptly turning to Jareth, she eyed him as if she thought "I told you so." Because of her sarcasm, she probably was. The king only grimaced in response, thus continuing to watch Lea through his crystal. "So, tell me," she continued, flinging her red curls, "how fairs my sister?"

No response.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to ya!" she demanded, in a Dustin Hoffman manner.

Since he still refused to respond, two of his soldiers peered over his shoulder to observe.

"She's made it passed the greener part of the labyrinth," said the shorter one, "She's now with a very large...monster...thing."

"Monster thing?" Aria echoed in confusion.

"Yeah, she rescued him from some of our soldiers."

Leaving it at that, she simply shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, whatever."

"She entered one of the doors, leading into our forest," declared the large one, wearing a helmet too big for his head. "That's amazing! I can't believe it she's made it this far so quickly!"

Puffed with pride, Aria sneered at the goblin king.

But, he remained undaunted: he had some unused tricks hiding up his sleeve.

After pushing their way passed some extremely, bizarre flaming creatures, which attempted to distract them, Lea, Maria, and her latest companion, the friendly, horned, furry red beast named Ludo came across a small opening within the forest.

"Urrr...this seems really random," she observed.

Maria floated about and scrutinized the area. All of a sudden, the ground opened beneath them. With a cry, they fell on a rather thin ledge. They shook the dust off them. Lea grew rather confused when Maria clamped her hands over her face in disgust.

"Smeellll baaaaad!" Ludo moaned.

She sniffed the air, but smelled nothing. "Umm...what in the world are you talking about?" she asked.

Maria stared at her as if she had lobsters crawling out of her ear. "You can't smell that? Seriously?"

"Hey, don't be a twerp!" Lea retorted.

"You seriously CANNOT smell that down there? Honestly? Truly?"

Glancing down beneath the ledge, she noticed a vomit inducing marshland, with green waters, no plant life, and very suspicious steam hovering about it. The waters, somehow, made

gaseous, revolting, burp sounds.

Lea obliviously stared at her tiny companion.

Maria shook her head. "You're hopeless..."

"Well, it's hard when your nose is literally clogged," she retorted, straightening her glasses.

"Smeeellll baaaad!" Poor Ludo complained.

The trio rose and sidled along the ledge attempting not to fall into the mysterious bog. They at least reached land and walked towards a small rocky area where a bridge lay waiting. Frantically, Maria tugged at Lea's hair.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "Look! Look!"

When Lea turned, she noticed the fairy flying into to some dead bushes.

"Get out here, you jerk!" she hissed.

"Hey! Stop poking me, you damned fairy!" came a strangely familiar voice.

Lea's paranoia started to grow. Then, out of the bushes fell the goblin she first saw at the entrance of the labyrinth, who attempted to crush the blonde fairy. She clamped her lips together and gazed severely at him.

"I knew I saw him following us!" Maria accused. "But, every time I looked, he would hide again."

"I-I did not!" he protested, brushing himself off. "This was all an accident!"

"Yeaaah, sure! I'm sure you come to the Bog of Eternal Stench just for fun, don't you?" she hissed crossing her arms.

Ludo only watched in confusion.

"Bog of Eternal...what?" Lea inquired.

"The Bog of Eternal Stench!" the dwarf dramatically threw his hands into the air. "You merely put a foot in there, it'll smell bad for the rest of your life!"

Lea blinked. "Stench?"

"Yes!" he and Maria shouted simultaneously.

"But, I don't smell anything," she scratched the back of her head, embarrassed.

"Smelllll baaaaad!" Ludo repeated.

"Yes, I think you've made yourself clear, honey," said she, patting his furry shoulder.

The fairy fluttered over to the brunette and stared up her nose. This felt a bit peculiar, so to speak.

"I have," Lea explained, "terrible allergies. When they get out of control, I can never smell anything, no matter how strong the scents around me are. I promise. Have had it all my life. Dust and mold and stuff like that cause them to spike."

Hoggle and Maria glanced at one another in perplexity. Ludo stared into oblivion.

"Never mind," she shook her head. "Let's just move on," she pointed to Hoggle, "You can come along if you want, but any funny business and I'll throw you over the wall."

Widening his eyes and clamping his lips together, he nodded. "Yeesh, you're almost as bad as...," his voice trailed off.

The party ventured towards a rotting bridge held up by a group of large rocks. Suddenly, from behind one of them an anthropomorphic, canine creature leapt before them, prohibiting their entrance. Because of his shouting, Lea moaned and rubbed her forehead.

"You cannot pass without my permission!" he barked.

"Oh please, NOW what?" Maria placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "We gotta get outta here!"

When Hoggle tried to pass, he was poked in the stomach by the canine's staff. In a fit, Ludo charged at the creature in an attempt to grab him. According to his shouts and cheers, it was apparent to Lea how big his ego was despite his size. He suffered the illusion that his skills and speed were grand. Then again, it did not take a lot to dodge a slow beast like Ludo. Climbing atop him, the canine beat his horns with his scrawny gold staff. After he tossed the fur ball off him, Ludo snatched a tree branch and swung at the ground. Maria and Hoggle took this chance to cross the rickety bridge.

The tiny blonde called,

"C'mon, Lea!"

As she cleaned her foggy glasses, Lea surveyed the overpass, unsurely. "Uhhhh, I dunno if this can sustain my weight," She turned back to observe the knight shake hands with Ludo.

"I, Sir Didymus," he declared, ostentatiously, "swear to become your brother."

Childish glee filled the monster's face. Lea could not help but smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry to break up this," she said, "fuzzy moment, but we really need to get across and-"

Frantically, Sir Didymus dashed before her. "I have yet to say 'good thou, my lady'!"

"Look, I know you have a duty to hold to and all, but we cannot waste anytime," she crossed her arms. "So, may we please have your permission?"

For some reason, Didymus found himself befuddled. He stammered for a couple of seconds.

"Yes," he replied, at last.

With a grin, Lea thanked him. "But, I'm still not cross that bridge."

She could perceive Maria's loud exhale from the other side. "What other choice do you have?"

"Fear not, m'lady!Ó cheered the knight. "This bridge has remained stable for over a thousand years!" upon tapping the stones lightly, those very rocks holding up the bridge and the bridge itself collapsed into the filthy water. Maria and Lea shrieked in unison. Pursing their lips, they eyed him.

"Hmm...that wasn't supposed to happen," he mused.

"Question is, what do we do now?"

"I am not sure. Brother, any ideas?"

He thought a moment. Then, he raised his head in the air and groaned loudly. Everyone gawked in curiosity at his actions. Then, to their surprise, a large stone rolled from land into the bog. Another appeared from the bottom. Then came another and then another. Before they knew it, a pathway of rocks lay before them.

"My brother!" cried Sir Didymus, "Thou can summon up the very rocks?"

"Must you speak in Shakespearean?" she said to herself.

Ludo laughed. "Sure! Rocks friends!"

"Well, your question has now been answered, m'lady."

After blinking, dumfounded for two seconds, she shook her head, nodded, and proceeded onward. She could not help but laugh as the stones "farted" when she stepped on them. When the giant, red-haired beast stepped, the noises resounded much louder.

Now, it was the knight's turn.

"Ah! Wait a moment!" he called.

"You wanna come with us?" Lea inquired.

"Well, my duty was to guard this passage. Now that the bridge has collapsed, I am free from my oath."

"Well then! The more the merrier!"

Hoggle moaned.

"Ambrosius!" he called. "Yes, you can come out it's alright." Out from behind the trees and rocks, a small shaggy, white-haired dog trembled into view. "My loyal steed," he declared and mounted him. "Now, close your eyes and GO!" thus, they sped across the path and met with them.

Awkward silence...

"Alright then!" Lea stated, "Let's continue onward!"

With her leading, the party obeyed. Delaying, Hoggle pulled the peach Jareth gave him from his pocket. He was not sure if he should listen. Lea was crafty and had companions well on her side. Even she failed to notice anything, one of them would catch him and have his head. Then again, Jareth would most likely obliterate him if he failed to follow orders. Hands shaking, he held the fruit over the water.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," an eerie voice echoed from bellow.

He was watching... What other option lay before him now?


	6. Chapter 6

The forest grew quiet, suspiciously quiet. Even still, Lea knew that Jareth watched her every move through his crystal-and more than likely, her sister was chewing him out for it. All the same, she could only push forward-regardless of how creepy the situation was. In one chorus, all her companions began displaying signs of hunger; burping, stomach growling, vocal complaints.

"Well, how about we stop here and look for food?" said Lea, scratching the back of her head. "Split up and look around."

"Yes, my lady!" declared the canine knight in a grand manner.

After kicking his steed's flanks, they proceeded onward, Ludo following behind them. Maria ventured the opposite way. Lea's legs began aching once more, so she sat down next to the nearest, vine covered tree and lay her head on her knees.

"Ah! When will this insanity end!" she groaned, repeatedly banging her forehead.

"Uhh-excuse me, Lea?" Hoggle tapped her shoulder, almost shyly.

"What is it?" she sighed.

Hands shaking, he held out a ripe, brightly colored peach. She raised a dark eyebrow at him at his strange behavior.

"Where'd you get this?" she asked. "We could gather some more for the rest of the party."

Hoggle wasn't expecting the question, but he thought fast. "I just found it on the ground when we came in. I checked around for others, but sadly, I couldn't. No tree or anything." He waited to see if she would believe him.

"At the entrance?"

He nodded.

She blinked. "Hurrmmm, lucky find, I guess, but send the others up there to find food, okay?" she took it. "Thanks a lot."

He shrugged his shoulders.

When she bit into it, the sweet juices filled her mouth, but all of a sudden, a strange, sharp taste followed it. She clamped her lips together. Since she didn't want to offend her friend for attempting to assist her, she continued to eat it. Hoggle seemed distressed, but before she could ask, he hobbled off, cursing himself. Suddenly, her head began to swim.

"What the hell?" her eyes glazed over. She lay her head down on the soft moss and closed her eyes when the world around her started to spin. "What was in that? Ether?"

It was getting even weirder. Soon, sparkling bubbles started slowly floating in front of her face, each with little figures dancing inside.

"Okay," she mumbled. "Maybe it was LSD."

When she opened her eyes again, she gasped to find herself in a party full of the strangest people, dressed in flamboyant attire and disturbing masks. Glittering chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the room was filled with loud talking, laughter and smacking. Suddenly, her eyes bulged when she saw her own changed attire: a long, flowing white gown, with billowing sleeves, and covered in jewels. Her hair had been curled and tied back, with locks still pooling over her shoulders, with diamonds twisted inside them. Her glasses her gone, but she could still see. (I guess that's what makes a dream a dream.)

Um, do I even want to know? Lea thought, biting her lip.

Occasionally, some drunk idiot would yell in her face as he or she walked by. She began looking around for a way to get herself out of here, pushing through the heavy crowd.

_It's like an evil, psycho version of Cinderella. Is this some sick way of trying to take over my mind? What the hell! Wake up, Lea! Damn it, WAKE UP!_

As she grumbled to herself, pushing her way through the mob of people, she bumped into something, not just anything-SOMEONE.

_Oh, great, let me guess._

When she looked up, her stomach churned, for the piercing eyes of the Goblin King laughingly gazed down upon her.

"Hello, my dear," he greeted.

"No."

"What?"

"Whatever it is, no. I'm getting the hell outta here."

Before she could leave, he grabbed her hand.

"Wait a moment," he smiled darkly. "How about one dance?"

"Sure, I guess so, because, if I say no now, you won't stop persisting unless I say yes."

Placing his hand on her waist and sliding his fingers through hers, Jareth began leading her to the beat of the song. His black attire sparkled under the light, and his eyes gleamed. She continued to glare at him.

"What's the matter, my dear?" he leered. "The night is young, the music is elegant and romantic."

"And you poisoned me with a peach and invading my dreams like a perverted son of a-"

He placed a finger over her lip. "Please, let us be lady-like."

"Well, you're damn sure not acting like any gentleman," she seethed through her teeth.

"It's amazing you can even think coherently. Very impressive."

She smirked. "Yes, well, I'm always on my toes mentally and physically. ItÕs amazing you can get around comfortably in those-er-pants of yours," she tried hard not to glance down awkwardly.

He chuckled. "Touche."

When the music stopped, the two stopped along with it.

"Alright," she pointed at him. "Now, wake me up NOW."

Crossing his arms and pursing his lips, Jareth jeered,

"And if I don't?"

With a threatening aura, Lea approached him and grabbed his collar.

"Or your balls are coming OFF."

Everyone in the room fell silent. She continued to stare at him, waiting for his reply.

Finally, he grinned. "I DARE you."

Suddenly, Lea jerked her head from the moss. Her cheek was covered in dirt. When she thought about the "dream", she growled. That wasn't a dream. Somehow, Jareth had entered her mind. Somehow, he was able to communicate with her as she lay unconscious. Slowly, her growl escalated to a infuriated shout.

"DAMN! That is so perverted on SO many levels! WHY, THAT SON OF A BEAST!" Hopping to her feet, she sprinted to through the forest. "ALRIGHT, GUYS! NO TIME TO EAT! LET'S GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE AND TO THAT DAMN CASTLE!"

She did not give her party any chance to respond.

"Y-Yes, my lady!


	7. Chapter 7

Confused and unbelievably annoyed, Lea pushed through the junkyard placed in between the forest and the Goblin City, stopping her furious energy. Since Jareth had entered her dreams in that manner, she felt disgusted and almost violated on a whole different level.

Does he always pull BS like that? she hissed to herself.

Sir Didymus, Ludo and Maria watched her with perplexity.

"What do you think happened?" the canine whispered.

Maria shrugged her shoulders. 'Obviously, some stunt Jareth pulled.'

"Oh my."

His steed quivered beneath him.

"Calm down, Ambrosious."

Ludo just grumbled to himself.

As the continued, an old hag with an enormous burden on her back dashed up to Lea and started babbling to her.

"Why are you still going to the Goblin city? Come and rest, m'dear!"

"Why does everyone still call me that? My name is Lea, damn it!" she was talking to the sky. "Lea Quincy! Seriously, is it that hard to remember!"

"Come, come! I found your room! Come and rest!"

Whipping her head over to the hag and after straightening her glasses, Lea promptly displayed her feelings by giving her the middle finger.

Maria snickered. Despite being a fairy, she knew what that meant.

The huge wooden gate was easily pushed open with the group pushed as one. With a sigh, Lea turned to her little army.

"Thank you all for all your assistance," she declared. "Though this whole experience has been-urrrrr-interesting, you guys have made it a bit easier."

"Fwiend," Ludo bellowed, cheerfully.

"T'is been an honor!" Sir Didymus saluted her.

Maria crossed her arms in a cocky manner.

"When I'm through with this jackass," she laughed. "Your world will be a lot better off."

"Well said, Lady Lea!"

When they turned around, they were shocked to hear a loud crash. Before them, a huge metallic object closed like a door to form a guard robot. Steam blew out of its head, and its eyes glowed.

"WWWWHOOOOO GOOOOOOEEEES?" it demanded.

"Oh, hell no," Lea double-face palmed her forehead. "Outta the way, giant trash can!"

"Ah! A battle?" Sir Didymus pulled out his staff, while his poor steed whimpered.

Slowly, the robot lifted its giant axe in the air and met the ground with a giant clang. This caused Ambrosious to flee, knocking his master from his back, and hide in terror.

"COME BACK HERE!"

Maria flew around its head, causing it to follow her and focus on her.

"This is so random," Lea moaned, rubbing the sides of her head.

Suddenly, things grew even more random when Hoggle appeared on the top of the walls and jumped on the machine's head, tossing it to the side.

"Hey! Where the hell did you run off to!" she demanded.

"Never mind that!" she heard a little goblin cry as it was thrown to the ground. Apparently, this was a machine controlled from the inside.

"Let me shut this damn thing down first!"

The axe raised, but was caught in the archway above the gate. Sparks flew from the joints.

"Jump!" Maria yelled. "It's gonna explode!"

"Fire in the hole!" Hoggle yelled, leaping from his death. At last, the machine exploded.

"Sir Hoggle!" Sir Didymus ran to his side, unable to console Ambrosious.

"Listen, before anything else is said," Hoggle shook his head in shame. "I am so sorry. Jareth made me give you that peach. He-I-uggh. I am such a coward. Please, forgive me."

Lea cocked her head. With a light laugh, she pat his shoulder.

"Hoggle."

He looked up at her. "Y-Y-Yeah?"

She slapped him hard across the face.

"H-hey!"

"That's for ditching us like that," then, she grabbed his shoulders. "But, that took a lot of guts to admit your faults like that, and for that, I salute you." With a grin, she did so.

"That was quite a display of courage there, Sir Hoggle," Sir Didymus said.

"Hoggle and Ludo friends."

"Not bad," said Maria, smirking. "Not bad."

Hoggle seemed rather surprised at all the compliments and words of support.

"Come on," Lea pulled him to his feet. "We got a mission to complete."

"Y-yeah!" he mustered up all the gusto he could. "Let's go get that rat that calls himself Jareth!"

"NOW, you're talking!


	8. Chapter 8

"Sir!"

Jareth slowly turned his head towards the frantic goblin soldier.

"She-I-uh-er-"

"What is it? Speak."

"The girl! The girl! The dwarf and the monster and-!"

"What is it!" he rose from his seat.

"They're in the city! And they're on their way to the castle!"

Aria jolted her head in surprise. "Lea!"

"Call the guards! he commanded. Stop them at once!"

Multiple soldiers stumbled through the hallway, panically making through the door.

"You!" he pointed at Aria.

"Sorry, I'm not going anywhere, except with my sister," she stuck her tongue out at him. "Ass-face."

Grabbing the end of her red hair, he dragged her to the back of the castle. "I can tell you two are related."

As he lead her, she shrieked and cursed at him the rest of the way.

The filthy, dusty city was very still. The only sounds to be heard were an occasional chicken clucking and the trickling of the water fountain. Lea was determined to suffer no sidetracks or distractions, so she pushed towards the castle. Maria sat on her shoulder, keeping watch. Sir Didymus, Ludo and Hoggle trailed behind, growing suspicious of the stillness.

"HEY! LEA!" came a shriek from the castle.

"What the hell?" when she glanced up at the highest window, Aria stuck her head out the window. "ARIA!"

Maria jumped from her shoulder, startled.

"A BUNCH OF GOBLINS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO STOP YOU! WHATEVER YOU DO, GET HERE AS FAST AS YOU BLOODY HELL CAN!"

"Goblins? OKAY, I WILL!"

Sure enough, when the giant doors to the castle, soldiers in the goblin army came marching out in front of them.

"Oh, hell no!" Lea grumbled. "And let me guess: you shall not pass?"

That's right! the leader, dressed in red declared.

"Sorry, I'm passing through", she grabbed the goblin by the head and dangled him in the air. "Whether you like it or not!"

"My lady!" Sir Didymus cried.

When she looked down, the rest of the army pointed their tiny spears at her.

"Ahh, damn it!" she growled, throwing the soldier on the ground, causing him to yelp. "RUN!" along with her comrades, they fled through the city. With a loud CHARGE!, the goblins tailed them.

"We need a good plan here", Maria said, as she bolted it through the air.

"Why must we flee?" Sir Didymus growled. "I never flee! Let us fight!"

"We got to get inside the castle, not kill ourselves!" Hoggle protested.

"Wait! Wait!" Maria yelled, holding her toothpick like arms in the air. "Ludo!"

"Arrrr?" he moaned.

"You can call rocks, right? Like in the bog?"

"Sure! Rocks."

"Call them up! You, Sir Didymus!"

"Yes!" he saluted.

"See if you can take out the head of the army!"

"Yes! HI-HO, Silver!" he kicked the flanks of poor Ambrosious (who was probably getting bruised there.), after whimpering, followed his master's orders.

"Hoggle", Maria pointed at him. "You and I will clear a path for Lea, who will make a run for the castle."

"You got it", he agreed.

With a snap of her fingers, each member of the party went to their work. Ludo raised his head to the sky and moaned to the heavens. Sir Didymus charged for the leader. Maria distracted each soldier by flying in front of their eyes, and Hoggle grabbed a shovel from inside one of the houses, smacking and clanging everyone in his path. Finally, their allies, the rocks, rolled through.

Lea felt the muscles in her legs twitch as she prepared to dash for it.

"EYE ON THE BALL", she muttered, cracking her knuckles.

"LEA!" Maria and Hoggle yelled. "GO!"

Without a thought, she dashed as fast as she could. Leaping and avoiding every obstacle, whether moving or inanimate, she ran into the door of the castle with a loud SLAM!

"OUCH! Damn it!" the rim of her glasses pressed hard into her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

"Hurry! Get in, my lady!" Sir Didymus called, as he crossed staff with his foes, steed quivering inside a nearby house.

She pushed open the doors.

Lea knew well Aria had been here, because, well, every thing inside was spotless, which was something to speak for, considering the condition of the rest of the town. Everything though was plain stone, with helmets and spears hung across the walls. She still had no idea where she would look.

"LEA!" came her sister's voice. "WHEREVER YOU ARE, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!"

"Ah! I'M COMIN'! I'M COMIN'!"

She followed her voice through the rooms, nearly tripping over the stairs.

What she came upon displeased her brain to no end.

"What the hell is this?"

All over the room were staircases-literally. On the ceilings, the walls, the floor, even mirrored back to back. It resembled the painting known as Relativity by M.C. Escher.

"UGH. I've always disliked that painting", she grumbled, rubbing her face. "Now, I'm IN it.

"Lea! Up here!" her sister was upside down.

"Aria!" she nearly cried when she finally saw her beautiful, flaming haired sister. "How am I going to get you down?

"I don't know! This place is a damn madhouse!"

"Come on! You go to the left! I'll try going downstairs!"

Aria obeyed her sisters orders, but as Lea proceed her move, Jareth suddenly appeared before her from beneath.

"HOLY HELL!" Lea shrieked, jumping backwards.

"Hello, pretty lady", he smirked. "Isn't this sweet? Two sisters trying to reach "other and figure out this next puzzle? Slowly, he walked towards her.

She shook her head. "Is that such a bad thing? Oh, I forgot. You wouldn't know about that, because the only love of your life is your ego."

He smirked. Then, he held out his hand as the crystal materialized in his hand.

"Oh, that's just mean", she slapped her face.

"What? Oh, this?" he toyed with it on his fingertips.

"Lea?" Aria's voice bounced across the walls. She appeared on one of the sideways cases. "Oh no! Not you! Lea! I know the crystal is really shiny, but don't be distracted!"

He payed no head to the sister's venting.

Shaking her head, the glasses-wearing sister dashed downstairs, escaping Jareth's presence. However, she was distressed to find herself upside down.

"Oh, this is no good in the least for my sinuses", she moaned, rubbing her head.

"Ah, and you claimed to be so clever at such things", he teased.

"Well, your blabbing isn't helping!" Aria retorted, running to the next possible move.

"I'll have to admit though", he stated, suddenly appearing over her head. "You completed the Labyrinth much faster than expected. I am highly impressed. Anyone who stumbles upon this grand creation of mine never make it out."

She raised an eyebrow as she stared up at him. "I'm lucky, I suppose."

Slowly, he reached out his hand as if to touch her face, but she sprinted over to the next flight of stairs, a little disturbed.

"UGH! This is starting to really piss me off!" Aria hissed. "Jareth, get us outta this NOW! You're wasting our time, and we're sick of this!"

"Yeah!" Lea slid her fingers through her dark hair, finding herself sideways. "How many times did I say this? I didn't WISH my sister away! I was quote a damn, stupid book! In the book, this little wench that her brother was taken away! I was just quoting it!"

"She was! I can support that statement!" Aria pointed at him. "Come on! Seriously now!"

Suddenly, the king erupted in an amused chuckle. "Please, ladies, I am not that stupid."

"Wha-?"

The girls turned to face him, but he had vanished yet again.

"What the hell does he mean?" Aria asked.

"I dunno, but I'm finding out!


	9. Chapter 9

"What happened?" Aria asked, as she floated to the ground of the suddenly disoriented room, crumbling.

"Uhhh, I would like to know that too", Lea replied, closing her eyes from confusion. "That bastard! I am going to-"

"Lea, watch it."

"But, I will; you shall see!"

"Keep it to yourself."

When they landed, a black fog surrounded them. Pillars crumbled and floated about them. The clock was ticking-literally. it was only a few feet away from them.

"ARG! What the hell is this?" Lea exclaimed, shaking her head. "Did the place explode?"

Aria crossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, look what the cat dragged in." Lea was too busy muttering to herself.

In walked Jareth, slowly and majestically, dressed in white, hair blowing in the wind. A devilish smirk planted on his lips.

"Well, ladies", he said, crossing his arms. "This has been quite an interesting ride. And you, Lea, he pointed to her."

She was not listening, until Aria tapped her elbow. Lea's eyes bulged behind her glasses when she saw the King's new appearance.

"Good heavens", she whispered to herself. "Talk about over compensating for no reason." She palmed her face.

He sighed and continued:

"I have never seen anyone complete the Labyrinth at such speed. Very incredible."

"Look, are you going to tell us why you exactly brought us here or no? Aria demanded, clicking her shoes against the floor."

"Honestly", he chuckled, causing his crystal to appear in his hand. "When I heard your sister, I knew right away that she quoted a book, but I decided to take advantage of the situation." He rolled the sphere back and forth.

"Why? Come on. Spill it."

"When you are a ruler with highest of powers, things grow quite dull around here", he leaned against his free hand, waiting for the violent response he knew would burst forth. "And you seemed quite entertaining-beyond what I expected."

Aria gritted her teeth. "You lousy, no good-!"

"UGH. At this point, I do not even CARE! Just get us the hell out of here, before I break something!" Lea groaned. "I am exhausted, I am hungry, and I have had this damn headache for hours! And I swear, I think I am getting a cold." she sneezed to prove her point. Her head had began to spin.

"Lea!" her sister cried. "You are falling backwards!"

"No, I am not", she did manage to stable herself. She caught a glimpse of Jareth smiling at them. She just decided to quiet herself. "Never mind. It is pointless. We have asked you a thousand times, it seems, and you just refuse to listen. And no matter what you say to us, we are not buying it."

He laughed. "I guess that is the trouble dealing with people of similar natures."

"For once, I actually agree with you on that", the red-headed sister nodded.

Suddenly, a thud caught their attention. Aria screamed when she saw her sister flat on her back, glasses off her face.

"Oh, Lord, no!" she panicked, gathering her big sister's body in her arms. "She-she is burning up! "

"This is an unexpected turn of events", Jareth mused, bending down to observe her white, sweaty face. He looked down at his crystal. He was going to attempt one more time with it, but Lea was determined to refuse and would not shirk.

"I suppose I have to end it here, for now anyway."

Aria shook her sister and tried every thing she could to wake her. Rising to his feet, the Goblin King raised the crystal in his hand.

"Well, it looks as though this is good bye for now", he declared.

"What?" she demanded.

But, before anything else was said, he tossed his crystal into the air. The clock struck, announcing their final hour there. Every thing around then fell apart, and a light shown around them, causing Aria to hide her face, gripping Lea's sleeve


	10. Chapter 10

"Lea! Lea! Stay with us!"

"Come on, darling!"

Beads of sweat formed on her brow, and her dark eye lashes fluttered open. Blurry lights flew over her head. She could sense her pulse throbbing throughout her entire body. The voices of her family calling echoed around her. But, before she had anytime to discover what was going on, she passed out again.

Hours later, Lea pulled herself out of a dreamless sleep. The sweet aroma of flowers and other greenery filled her nose. For some strange reason, her chest felt like it was filled with led.

"What the hell?" she fingered her face to discover an oxygen mask over her mouth.

After placing on her glasses, she realized she was in a hospital, covered in flowers, balloons and teddy bears. On the couch, her little sister Aria was asleep on the couch. She was now dressed in her skinny, ripped jeans, her long green sweater and boots.

"Aria!" she tried to shout, but her throat tightened.

Instead, she grabbed one of the teddy bears and threw it at her head. She screamed, of course.

"L-Lea! You are awake!"

"Obviously", she whispered.

After picking up the bear, and placing it back in its seat, she sat next to her sister.

"How are you?" she asked.

She pursed her lips. "PISSED", she seethed. "What the hell just happened? I am so confused!"

"Uh, you passed out. You had a sky rocketing fever, so I called paramedics."

"That is NOT what I am talking about."

Aria stroked Lea's dark hair. "I am not sure myself. I was trying to wake you up, and when I turned around, he- she shook her head. He decided to return us here, for some reason."

Lea raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I do not like it. Not at all."

She laughed. "I do not either. But, frankly, who cares? We are home. We are with our family. I am safe. You will be outta here in no time, and we can return to our normal lives."

"Except I will most likely be having nightmares for weeks now", Lea crossed her arms.

"No, you will not", Aria pat her shoulder. "Thank you so much for coming after me, big sis."

Lea smiled weakly. "Is that not what big sisters are supposed to do?"

With a huge grin, the petite red-head gently and warmly hugged her.

"Get some sleep, okay?" she said.

Upon that, she jumped to her feet and left for the door. After one last, cheerful wave, Aria exited.

"Miss Lea?"

Lea awoke to find a blonde peaking her head through the door.

"Uh, yeah?" she shook her head. "What is it?"

"The doctor will be here in a minute to check on you."

"Ah, okay, whatever." she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

After putting on her glasses again, she rubbed her arms, waiting. Her mind replayed the memories of the events of the night before: Jareth, the Labyrinth, the goblins, the fairies, the forests, the monsters. What was all that? It was like some sick nightmare or something, like an attempt at brainwashing her or something, a bizarre fever dream or just a weird fantasy movie. Simply ruminating made her head spun.

"Whatever", Lea batted her head. "I am here. I am here with my family."

"Alright, ma'am", came the voice of the doctor. "Let us see how you are doing."

With a deep breathe, she turned to meet the eyes of her caretaker.

Suddenly, her jaw dropped: dressed in a typical doctor's robe, this particular paramedic had blonde, feathery hair and long fingers.

_**No, no, no,**_ she thought. I am just imagining. _It is post trauma. It is an illusion. It is just a random worry. No way! _her heart pounded.

When he glanced up and walk towards her, she tried very hard not to reveal any emotion, but yes, there were the same stormy, piercing eyes.

Jareth? her brain panicked. He looks exactly like him! How the hell! Of course this would happen to me! Damn!

He took out a thermometer from his jacket and placed it in her mouth. After that was finished, jotted down some notes, moving next to taking her blood pressure, checking the glands in the back of her throat, and her eyes and ears. She had to hold her breath when he placed the cold stethoscope on her chest. Nervously, she chewed the inside of her lower lip, until it finally bled.

"Well, your fever still reaches at about 103, which considering at where you were yesterday is far better," he explained. "You might want to stay here a little longer. Later, we shall obtain some blood samples from you and run some tests, making sure the count is where it needs to be and so on."

_DAMN. He is so good at acting_, she thought, nodding, at least, pretending to listen.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said, aloud.

When he rose from the bed, he turned to leave.

Lea could not stand it. She had to ask.

"Excuse me, sir," she said, raising her hand. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

He glanced back at her, flashing a smile.

"Hello, Lea," and the familiar, egotistical aura returned. "I was wondering when you would notice. But, considering your current condition, not bad, not bad."

She slapped her palm to her face.

In one smooth movement, Jareth sat back down next to her and placed his finger under her chin.

"We have some unfinished business to attend to," he jeered, cunningly.

"How-?" she gritted her teeth. "HOW DID YOU GET HERE?"

"Does that matter?" he replied. "I think it only matter do you how you shall deal with it now."

"Youuu sunuva beech"

He edged closer to her face, causing her to back as far as she could into the bed. "Now, shall we proceed?"

"Oh, hell no," Lea seethed in return, narrowing her eyes.

THE END


End file.
